Garfield County staff recognized by the Government Finance Officers Association

GARFIELD COUNTY, CO â€“ The Garfield County Finance Department has once again shown its excellence in budgeting, earning the Government Finance Officers Association's (GFOA) Distinguished Budget Presentation award for 2018. This marks the ninth-straight year the finance department has been honored in this capacity by the GFOA.

The award is presented to state and local governments that prepare financial documents at the highest quality. To earn the honor, the county budget was rated proficient in four categories - as a policy document, financial plan, operations guide, and communications device - and meet 14 mandatory criteria within each.

"This award is the highest form of recognition in governmental budgeting, and represents a significant achievement by your organization," wrote Michele Mark Levine, director of the GFOAâ€™s technical services center.

Garfield County Finance Director Theresa Wagenman said the honor is the result of all the hard work on behalf of all county staff, which she thanked along with department heads, elected officials, and the Board of County Commissioners for their support and diligence.

"It's an extraordinary task, with all hands on deck," she said. "We are fortunate to have a great management team, outstanding elected officials, in addition to a board that provides clear direction so that we can execute and compile a strong budget document."

The finance department also received its ninth-straight Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting (CAFR) award earlier this year for excellence in accounting principles in the spirit of transparency.

"Thank you, and make sure the award is displayed proudly," added Commissioner John Martin.